Sen. Padilla files bill granting civil service eligibility to casual, contractual workers

CONGRESS was asked to frontload the passage of a longawaited enabling law granting civil service eligibility to casual and contractual government workers who have rendered a minimum of five years in public service.

As filed by Sen. Robinhood Ferdinand C. Padilla, Senate Bill (SB) 234 paves the way for both casual and contractual employees with five years in service to have an opportunity to become regular employees and avail of the corresponding benefits at work soon as the bill is enacted into law.

The Padilla bill, if adopted, grants civil service eligibility under certain conditions, to government employees appointed under casual or contractual service in the career service.

The Senator said “it is high time that we grant eligibility to our committed casual or contractual employees of the government in order to open opportunities for higher salaried positions, boost their morale and keep them motivated, and enhance their productivity to the benefit of the public.”

Padilla pointed out that “for the longest time, the government has gained notoriety for denying its employees opportunities to be regularized.” He cited data from the Civil Service Commission (CSC), counting 660,390 out of 2.4 million government employees since 2017 were under “job order” or “contract of service” status.

The lawmaker lamented that “most of our casual or contractual government employees cannot seek regular employment because they are not civil service eligible.”

At the same time, Padilla pointed out that “there have been special laws, regulations and orders authorizing the CSC to grant eligibility to qualified individuals.” They include the following: bar/board eligibility; barangay health worker eligibility; barangay nutrition; scholar eligibility; barangay official eligibility; electronic data processing specialist eligibility; foreign school honor graduate eligibility; honor graduate eligibility; Sanggunian member eligibility; scientific and technological specialist eligibility; Skills Eligibility Category II; and, Veteran Preference Rating.

Covered by the Padilla bill are casual or contractual employees occupying first level career civil service positions in the “clerical, trades and custodial service” involving nonprofessional or sub-professional work in a non-supervisory or supervisory capacity.

Moreover, it provides that government employees who will qualify should meet conditions including a certificate of no pending administrative case; and should not have been convicted by final judgment of an offense or crime involving “moral turpitude, disgraceful or immoral conduct, dishonesty, examination irregularity, drunkenness or addiction to drugs.”

“They should also not have been dishonorably discharged from the military service or dismissed for cause from any civilian position in the government,” the Padilla bill added.